PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 21

Description

THE discussion of Mr. Collins's offer was now nearly at an end, and
  Elizabeth had only to suffer from the uncomfortable feelings necessarily
  attending it, and occasionally from some peevish allusion of her mother.
  As for the gentleman himself, his feelings were chiefly expressed, not
  by embarrassment or dejection, or by trying to avoid her, but by stiffness
  of manner and resentful silence. He scarcely ever spoke to her, and
  the assiduous attentions which he had been so sensible of himself, were
  transferred for the rest of the day to Miss Lucas, whose civility in
  listening to him, was a seasonable relief to them all, and especially
  to her friend.

  The morrow produced no abatement of Mrs. Bennet's ill humour or ill
  health. Mr. Collins was also in the same state of angry pride. Elizabeth
  had hoped that his resentment might shorten his visit, but his plan
  did not appear in the least affected by it. He was always to have gone
  on Saturday, and to Saturday he still meant to stay.

After breakfast, the girls walked to Meryton, to inquire if Mr. Wickham
  were returned, and to lament over his absence from the Netherfield ball.
  He joined them on their entering the town and attended them to their
  aunt's, where his regret and vexation, and the concern of every body
  was well talked over. -- To Elizabeth, however, he voluntarily acknowledged
  that the necessity of his absence had been self imposed.

"I found," said he, "as the time drew near, that I had better not
  meet Mr. Darcy; -- that to be in the same room, the same party with
  him for so many hours together, might be more than I could bear, and
  that scenes might arise unpleasant to more than myself."

She highly approved his forbearance, and they had leisure for a full
  discussion of it, and for all the commendation which they civilly bestowed
  on each other, as Wickham and another officer walked back with them
  to Longbourn, and during the walk he particularly attended to her. His
  accompanying them was a double advantage; she felt all the compliment
  it offered to herself, and it was most acceptable as an occasion of
  introducing him to her father and mother.

Soon after their return, a letter was delivered to Miss Bennet; it
  came from Netherfield, and was opened immediately. The envelope contained
  a sheet of elegant, little, hot-pressed paper, well covered with a lady's
  fair, flowing hand; and Elizabeth saw her sister's countenance change
  as she read it, and saw her dwelling intently on some particular passages.
  Jane recollected herself soon, and putting the letter away, tried to
  join with her usual cheerfulness in the general conversation; but Elizabeth
  felt an anxiety on the subject which drew off her attention even from
  Wickham; and no sooner had he and his companion taken leave, than a
  glance from Jane invited her to follow her up stairs. When they had
  gained their own room, Jane taking out the letter, said,

"This is from Caroline Bingley; what it contains, has surprised me
  a good deal. The whole party have left Netherfield by this time, and
  are on their way to town; and without any intention of coming back again.
  You shall hear what she says."

She then read the first sentence aloud, which comprised the information
  of their having just resolved to follow their brother to town directly,
  and of their meaning to dine that day in Grosvenor street, where Mr.
  Hurst had a house. The next was in these words. "I do not pretend to
  regret any thing I shall leave in Hertfordshire, except your society,
  my dearest friend; but we will hope at some future period, to enjoy
  many returns of the delightful intercourse we have known, and in the
  mean while may lessen the pain of separation by a very frequent and
  most unreserved correspondence. I depend on you for that." To these
  high flown expressions, Elizabeth listened with all the insensibility
  of distrust; and though the suddenness of their removal surprised her,
  she saw nothing in it really to lament; it was not to be supposed that
  their absence from Netherfield would prevent Mr. Bingley's being there;
  and as to the loss of their society, she was persuaded that Jane must
  soon cease to regard it, in the enjoyment of his.

"It is unlucky," said she, after a short pause, "that you should
  not be able to see your friends before they leave the country. But may
  we not hope that the period of future happiness to which Miss Bingley
  looks forward, may arrive earlier than she is aware, and that the delightful
  intercourse you have known as friends, will be renewed with yet greater
  satisfaction as sisters? -- Mr. Bingley will not be detained in London
  by them."

"Caroline decidedly says that none of the party will return into
  Hertfordshire this winter. I will read it to you --"

"When my brother left us yesterday, he imagined that the business
  which took him to London, might be concluded in three or four days,
  but as we are certain it cannot be so, and at the same time convinced
  that when Charles gets to town he will be in no hurry to leave it again,
  we have determined on following him thither, that he may not be obliged
  to spend his vacant hours in a comfortless hotel. Many of my acquaintance
  are already there for the winter; I wish I could hear that you, my dearest
  friend, had any intention of making one in the croud, but of that I
  despair. I sincerely hope your Christmas in Hertfordshire may abound
  in the gaieties which that season generally brings, and that your beaux
  will be so numerous as to prevent your feeling the loss of the three
  of whom we shall deprive you."

"It is evident by this," added Jane, "that he comes back no more
  this winter."

"It is only evident that Miss Bingley does not mean he should."

"Why will you think so? It must be his own doing. -- He is his own
  master. But you do not know all. I will read you the passage which particularly
  hurts me. I will have no reserves from you." "Mr. Darcy is impatient
  to see his sister, and to confess the truth, we are scarcely less eager
  to meet her again. I really do not think Georgiana Darcy has her equal
  for beauty, elegance, and accomplishments; and the affection she inspires
  in Louisa and myself is heightened into something still more interesting,
  from the hope we dare to entertain of her being hereafter our sister.
  I do not know whether I ever before mentioned to you my feelings on
  this subject, but I will not leave the country without confiding them,
  and I trust you will not esteem them unreasonable. My brother admires
  her greatly already, he will have frequent opportunity now of seeing
  her on the most intimate footing, her relations all wish the connection
  as much as his own, and a sister's partiality is not misleading me,
  I think, when I call Charles most capable of engaging any woman's heart.
  With all these circumstances to favour an attachment and nothing to
  prevent it, am I wrong, my dearest Jane, in indulging the hope of an
  event which will secure the happiness of so many?"

"What think you of this sentence, my dear Lizzy?" -- said Jane as
  she finished it. "Is it not clear enough? -- Does it not expressly
  declare that Caroline neither expects nor wishes me to be her sister;
  that she is perfectly convinced of her brother's indifference, and that
  if she suspects the nature of my feelings for him, she means (most kindly!)
  to put me on my guard? Can there be any other opinion on the subject?"

"Yes, there can; for mine is totally different. -- Will you hear
  it?"

"Most willingly."

"You shall have it in few words. Miss Bingley sees that her brother
  is in love with you, and wants him to marry Miss Darcy. She follows
  him to town in the hope of keeping him there, and tries to persuade
  you that he does not care about you."

Jane shook her head.

"Indeed, Jane, you ought to believe me. -- No one who has ever seen
  you together, can doubt his affection. Miss Bingley I am sure cannot.
  She is not such a simpleton. Could she have seen half as much love in
  Mr. Darcy for herself, she would have ordered her wedding clothes. But
  the case is this. We are not rich enough, or grand enough for them;
  and she is the more anxious to get Miss Darcy for her brother, from
  the notion that when there has been one intermarriage, she may have
  less trouble in achieving a second; in which there is certainly some
  ingenuity, and I dare say it would succeed, if Miss de Bourgh were out
  of the way. But, my dearest Jane, you cannot seriously imagine that
  because Miss Bingley tells you her brother greatly admires Miss Darcy,
  he is in the smallest degree less sensible of your merit than when he
  took leave of you on Tuesday, or that it will be in her power to persuade
  him that instead of being in love with you, he is very much in love
  with her friend."

"If we thought alike of Miss Bingley," replied Jane, "your representation
  of all this, might make me quite easy. But I know the foundation is
  unjust. Caroline is incapable of wilfully deceiving any one; and all
  that I can hope in this case is, that she is deceived herself."

"That is right. -- You could not have started a more happy idea,
  since you will not take comfort in mine. Believe her to be deceived
  by all means. You have now done your duty by her, and must fret no longer."

"But, my dear sister, can I be happy, even supposing the best, in
  accepting a man whose sisters and friends are all wishing him to marry
  elsewhere?"

"You must decide for yourself," said Elizabeth, "and if, upon mature
  deliberation, you find that the misery of disobliging his two sisters
  is more than equivalent to the happiness of being his wife, I advise
  you by all means to refuse him."

"How can you talk so?" -- said Jane faintly smiling, -- "You must
  know that though I should be exceedingly grieved at their disapprobation,
  I could not hesitate."

"I did not think you would; -- and that being the case, I cannot
  consider your situation with much compassion."

"But if he returns no more this winter, my choice will never be required.
  A thousand things may arise in six months!"

The idea of his returning no more Elizabeth treated with the utmost
  contempt. It appeared to her merely the suggestion of Caroline's interested
  wishes, and she could not for a moment suppose that those wishes, however
  openly or artfully spoken, could influence a young man so totally independent
  of every one.

She represented to her sister as forcibly as possible what she felt
  on the subject, and had soon the pleasure of seeing its happy effect.
  Jane's temper was not desponding, and she was gradually led to hope,
  though the diffidence of affection sometimes overcame the hope, that
  Bingley would return to Netherfield and answer every wish of her heart.

They agreed that Mrs. Bennet should only hear of the departure of
  the family, without being alarmed on the score of the gentleman's conduct;
  but even this partial communication gave her a great deal of concern,
  and she bewailed it as exceedingly unlucky that the ladies should happen
  to go away, just as they were all getting so intimate together. After
  lamenting it however at some length, she had the consolation of thinking
  that Mr. Bingley would be soon down again and soon dining at Longbourn,
  and the conclusion of all was the comfortable declaration that, though
  he had been invited only to a family dinner, she would take care to
  have two full courses.

$$ Buy "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 21" on Amazon $$

Please check the description for download links if any or do a search to find alternative books.

Can't Download?
Please search mirrors if you can't find download links for "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 21" in "Description" and someone else may update the links. Check the comments when back to find any updates.

Search Mirrors
Maybe some mirror pages will be helpful, search this book at top of this page or click here to find more info.

1. Ebooks list page : 81
2. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 58
3. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 44
4. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 42
5. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 41
6. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 40
7. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 39
8. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 38
9. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 11
10. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 12
11. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 45
12. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 46
13. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 49
14. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 57
15. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 56
16. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Chapter 55